Mersan123: Haha, yeah, that's the truth... merci beaucoup!
MerlinMorgana1579: Yep...! Hmmm, something feels off? All right, guess you'll have to wait and see if something is, *Evil laugh*
CHARLES CHUKU: Yep! Thanks for reviewing!
The Great Dragon: :D *Grins* Yeah, me too... Ooh, yes, Kalian for just being there, *Laughs, still grinning* OH THat's amazing! So glad he's doing better! *Throws confetti and pumps fists* Hey, you're pretty awesome yourself.. OOkay, BlackShaftedArrow, gramercy! Never heard of it, but now I have...! Thank you so much, God bless you, too!
Morgana rubbed a hand over the mare's soft nose. She walked around the horse, purple velvet cloak lightly brushing against the straw covering the stable's floor. She pulled her thick hair from under the lowered hood, shaking her head and pulling out several hay sticks. They'd gotten to the fishing village just about an hour prior, and now most of them had gone to the tavern to talk to locals - though, Morgana wasn't convinced that was the only reason.
"Arthur? See? I wasn't but a moment," she said with a soft smile as soon as she met his gaze.
Arthur nodded, sighing and glancing around. He'd sent the knights to a nearby tavern where he and Morgana would meet them. He hadn't wanted to go in all at once and arouse suspicion.
"How are you?" he asked, looking into his sister's eyes. He honestly wanted to know how she was dealing with all of this.
"I'll be better when we find them," Morgana had a vague edge to her voice. She started walking towards the tavern. "And how are you?" she returned, and shot him a sideways glance. Everyone knew the king and his servant were close.
Arthur shrugged. "Well, I don't have anyone to polish my armor. It's... hard," he faked a sad voice. Of course, he was worried about Merlin, but it wouldn't help to complain or over-worry about it. Getting things done and FINDING them was the best thing to do.
Morgana gave a disapproving look. She shook her head and rolled her eyes. Though, at least he wasn't blowing the situation out of proportion. Her attention was pulled to the building in front of them and briefly she paused, putting a hand on Arthur's arm. A sound. And another sound. "Arthur?" she questioned.
Arthur heard the sounds as well. He knew them well, as he trained often. It was the sound of a fight... coming from inside the tavern he'd sent the knights into. He looked at Morgana, then the building. He rolled his eyes and an expression of seriousness came over his face. He drew his sword and walked toward the building.
Arthur had almost reached the double door when it flew open and out tumbled a drunken man. He dodged, glanced down at him, then back up. It seemed the knights were handling things all right.
"Morgana-" he debated telling her to stay outside, but he knew that she had magic, and she likely didn't need his protection at all... still, it was... strange.
"Need me to go in first?" Morgana teased, and pulled the sword from where it was kept at her side. She walked after her sibling, and looked inside the dark building. Punching, swords drawn, and unceremonious grunting. Her eyes flashed gold and the one inebriated man she was watching slipped, comically waving his arms in the air before he went crashing to the ground.
Arthur snorted. "No, I was about to ask you the same." He shoved the door open and charged in. The ringing of metal on metal was heard as a man's sword met his own. Arthur blocked, twisted the sword, and flung it from the other man's hand, then knocked him out with the hilt of his own sword.
The king took a moment to glance around the bar, scanning the room for his knights. He saw them. Sir Grover was chuckling while he tossed men over the bar one at a time. Sir Darin was throwing plates at people while Leon got the strays. Sir Louis was standing back to back with a man Arthur didn't know. The man had dark hair that was perhaps just a bit too long, and he looked as though he were rather enjoying the fight. He was grinning as he and Loius fought off several drunk men.
... Louis kicked a man's knees from under him, and stepped back as he went sprawling to the floor.
"What do they call you?"
Louis strained to hear what the man beside him had said.
"Pardon?"
"Your name!" The dark-haired person beside him tried again, louder this time, loud enough to hear over all the noise.
"Louis - and...?"
"Gwaine!"
"Pardon? Wayne?"
"Gwaine!" The next time the name was all but yelled at the top of his lungs.
"Gwaine then," Louis said, nodding several times. He ducked a blade, and heard it swipe just above his head.
Arthur heard the loud-VERY loud-shout of the name "Gwaine." At least he knew the man's name now. Arthur ducked as someone swung a chair leg toward his head. He narrowly avoided being clubbed by it, and stood, kicking the man backward, to Sir Grover, who promptly tripped him, and sent him toppling backward over the bar. Grover laughed, then grinned over at Arthur.
Arthur nodded once, then called over the fray, "What caused all this anyway?"
"I may have misheard the bartender, Sire!" Louis called with a grimace. He smashed someone's head against the wall, and let them drop onto the floor.
"Sire?" Gwaine questioned beside him, his tone holding some sort of resentment.
Louis didn't answer the other man's quarry, most as he hadn't heard it. A group of tall, rather bulky guys started to surround them, and Louis found himself back to back with Gwaine. "What did you mean Sire?" the question was asked loud enough for him to hear.
"How about I explain after," he paused to block a sword, "This?"
"He's royal?" Gwaine pushed.
"If he is, why does it matter to you?"
That time, Louis didn't get an answer. So he continued. "We're on a quest of sorts!"
"A quest? What kind of quest?" Gwaine asked, and ducked, dark brown hair barely avoiding being cut off by a blade.
Arthur listened long enough to hear that Louis MAY have missheard someone. He wondered if that was honestly the cause for all of this. He shoved a man out the door, watching as he rolled out into the street, stood, then wandered off.
Arthur turned his attention to Morgana. She was holding her own against several men. She threw them back against the far wall-they helplessly flew, looking shockd and horrified. Yes, Arthur decided, Morgana would be fine on her own.
"A quest to find a group of kidnappers," Louis answered. He grabbed a beer bottle from someone's hand, and crashed it over the same guy's head, pushing him backwards. The man looked dazed, and stumbled for a moment before falling over on his backside.
"Sounds like fun - when do we leave?" Gwaine called back with a sideways grin.
Arthur made his way over to the group surrounding Louis and Gwaine. He started fighting through, shoving men out of the way. He realized that Grover had finished sending men over the table, and was now coming to help him, as were Sir Leon and Darin.
"What did the bartender say?" Arthur asked, remembering that Louis said he's misheard. What could someone possibly say that would cause all of this? Arthur snorted quietly, thinking it must've been quite something.
"Nothing good!" Grover said with a loud laugh.
Louis replied with "I'm still not sure."
Arthur nodded. He looked over at Grover. "What did he say?" he asked, wondering.
He glanced around, seeing that several people were actually fighting WITH them, not against them. There was Gwaine, and and another man-very tall, with huge arms, and several others. Arthur was glad it wasn't just them against everyone in the bar. Arthur ducked as a bottle flew over his head.
"I misheard something he said about his wife, Sire," Louis answered for himself, albeit reluctantly.
"Percival!" Gwaine's sudden cry of warning made Louis glance back to see a tall, broad man spin around in time to see an attacker, which he procceeded to elbow in the face until said attacker started tilting towards the floor, groaning rather loudly.
Arthur shook his head. He didn't laugh, only because it wasn't a laughing matter amidst a fight. Still, he had to wonder why EVERYONE was fighting because of one thing.
Sir Grover chuckled as he watched Percival elbow the attacker in the face. He then went to join the fight over there and introduce himself to their other ally in the fight against... drunken patrons.
Louis looked at Gwaine. "How do you know each other?"
"Long story short, we were talking before the brawl started," Came the reply.
The 'battle' had started to slow down, and now more than half of the people were either unconscious or had stopped fighting altogether.
Arthur, Morgana, Darin, and Leon all made their way to the others. The fight had finally subsided. "Thank you both-" Arthur started, nodding to Gwaine and the other man... he hadn't caught his name. "The help was much appreciated."
"You're going on some kind of quest?" Gwaine drawled slowly.
Arthur looked around, debating if he should say. He decided it would be all right. "Yes. People from Camelot have been... disappearing. We've come after them, and tracked them here. They were taken by force, not of their own will. We mean to rescue them."
Percival spoke up, "I saw a group that went to the docks - they had prisoners."
"The docks?" Arthur asked, frowning slightly. "To a ship?" he continued. He hoped not. He knew nothing about ships, or the ocean, or sailling. It was one of the few things the king had never been taught as a child.
Percival nodded in confirmation.
Gwaine flicked his head to get the hair out of his face as it started to fall. "I have a ship."
"You have a ship?" Arthur asked. He gritted his teeth and nodded once as he sheathed his sword. "Would you be willing to help us find our friends?" Of course, Arthur would pay them for their trouble if they wanted.
"Yeah, as of yesterday -" Gwaine grinned, "That's fate if you ask me." He held the sword he had picked up in the duration of the fight, before finding a way to put it through his belt.
Arthur smiled slightly. "How many will your ship hold?" he asked.
"As many as I need it to. Guess we should get going, I need to give you all a speed course of sailing," Gwaine was smiling, and as he passed Louis, he clapped him on the shoulder.
"Thank you," Arthur said with a quick nod. "You're a good man." With that, they followed Gwaine to the door, all of them, including Percival. Arthur knew that these men weren't required to help them-he was just glad that they were willing.